Press Release

ECSO welcomed new members and met the European Commission to discuss a European cyber security policy

ECSO welcomed new members and met the European Commission to discuss a European cyber security policy

19 September 2018,
Brussels, Belgium

The 12th Board of Directors of ECSO approved seven new members and met the European Commission to discuss the proposal for a regulation on the creation of a European Cybersecurity Competence Centre and Network.

Brussels, Belgium – European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO) held its 12th Board of Directors meeting on 19 September 2018. During the meeting, seven new members have been granted ECSO membership and invited to take part in the contractual public-private partnership (cPPP) on cybersecurity.

Today ECSO counts 245 members across 28 countries, including 22 associations, 55 large companies, 14 users and operators, 22 public administrations, 6 regional clusters, 66 RTO/universities and 60 SMEs of all sizes. Since its establishment in June 2016, ECSO continues to grow in its size and relevance for contributing to European Union’s cyber security policy with strategic recommendations and inputs for cyber security industrial policy.

The Board meeting also elected ECSO Chair and Vice-Chairs:

Philippe Vannier (ATOS), Chair of ECSO

Benoit Poletti (INCERT GIE), Vice-Chair for Users

François Lavaste (AIRBUS), Vice-Chair for Large Companies

Fabio Martinelli (CNR), Vice-Chair for RTOs and Universities

Gerd Müller (TELETRUST/SECUNET), Vice-Chair for Associations

Guillaume Poupard (ANSSI), Vice-Chair for National Public Administrations

Mark Miller (CONCEPTIVITY), Vice-Chair for SMEs

The last Board of Directors meeting was also attended by the European Commission Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) officials. Despina Spanou, Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity, welcomed ECSO Board members and thanked ECSO community for its interest in the Commission’s proposal to create a European Cybersecurity Competence Centre and a Network of National Coordination Centres.

The key function of the Competence Centre will be to support joint investment by the EU, Member States and the private sector, with an objective to address fragmentation and build synergies among different actors. Miguel Gonzalez-Sancho, Head of Cybersecurity Technology and Capacity Building Unit, and Martin Übelhör, Head of Cybersecurity Industry and Innovation sector, noted that the expertise of actors dealing with cyber security industry will be essential for the effective functioning of the Competence Centre.

The Commission officials and ECSO Board Members engaged in a Q&A session and agreed to meet in the upcoming weeks to exchange the ideas and discuss the Commission’s proposal further.